


Neurodiversity in the Workplace

by angelglue



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: ADHD, Autism, I'll add tags as they become relevant, M/M, Stim, Stimming, add
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:47:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelglue/pseuds/angelglue
Summary: Little short stories related to the mercs and my headcanons for their mental disorders/disabilities. Mostly positive! I never see stories about the mercs being neurodiverse, so I wrote some!
Relationships: Sniper/Spy (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 87





	1. Sniper & Spy

**Author's Note:**

> Spy has ADHD and Sniper has Autism!

Sniper absentmindedly shook the little toy snake, hearing the bell inside it jingle. It was early, but everyone was already awake, so he didn't care too much about making noise. He stood outside Spy's room and knocked before quickly hiding the toy behind his back. It was only a moment before Spy answered the door.

" Ah, hello, Sniper. " Spy gave him a little smile when he saw him. He stepped to the side and let his guest in. " A bit early for a visit, hm? "

" I gotcha something. " Sniper hid the toy as best he could while watching Spy walk around him to sit back down.

" Oh? "

Sniper held out the little snake toy. It was fat, plush and soft, with a red body and black bead eyes. It stuck out its black tongue and had little dark red circles on its cheeks for blush.

Spy looked at the little toy with confusion. As Sniper handed it to him, he noticed it was a bit heavier than he expected.

" I hope you like it. I got it cause I know you been struggling with your stuff lately. I got me one too- It's a little wallaby. " Sniper rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, " It's, uh, meant for people like us. To help, y'know? I know you're not exactly like me, but it should help you too. Engineer showed me them in town and told me so. "

" Sniper. " Spy's eyes were locked into a useless staring battle with the snake. " I… have never enjoyed anything more than I enjoy this little snake. "

Sniper's heart fluttered and all his anxiety evaporated. " Oh, thank everything. I'm so glad you like it. "

Spy shook it a bit, and upon noticing the little jingle, he found himself shaking it a bit harder.

The two were surprised by the sound of Soldier over the intercom. They both jumped at his loud voice crackling through the speaker, " Battle time, men! Get to the van! "

Sniper grumbled and turned to the door before stopping and asking softly, " Mind walking with me to the van? I don't know the way from inside the base. "

Spy nodded and sat the little snake down. As he left with Sniper, he turned and gave it a final look before exiting.

He returned much more tired than he had left. His feet ached and his muscles screamed as he entered his room at last. He plopped down onto his chair, and he jumped when he felt something under him. He moved the snake into his hands and stared down at it. He shook it, smiling at the sound.

He shook it much harder, hearing the jingle and feeling all of his issues melt away. He shook it until his hand hurt and decided to stop and instead focus on feeling the texture of the fabric. He pet the snake, occasionally returning to shaking it. He hadn't noticed the hour pass as he stimmed away all the bad from the day.


	2. Sniper & Spy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for internalized ableism on Spy's end!

Spy had always been very good at masking. He sometimes caught himself stimming around others, but he always quickly stopped himself. He masked as well as he did partially because of shame. He liked stimming and the way it made him feel, but he hated the thought of someone knowing he wasn't perfect by society's standards.

Spy sat in silence in Sniper's van. It was a comfortable silence. The two sat together with Sniper sitting on his couch and Spy sitting in a booth chair at the small kitchen table. Spy sharpened his knife while Sniper was reading some book about wildlife that Spy hadn't found interesting enough to ask about.

While the silence was originally comfortable, Spy now found himself becoming increasingly understimulated. There was no noise at all. Normally, this didn't bother him. But he found himself increasingly unable to focus on the task in front of him. He would stop and mess with his glove, or he would look out the window. He needed some form of noise to focus. He tried to just buckle down and focus on the knife he was sharpening. 

The silence was too deafening, and he instinctually ended that silence as he shifted all of his focus to the knife. He tried to quietly click his tongue as he worked. He apparently didn't notice when he had begun doing it loudly.

Sniper noticed, however. He heard the sound of Spy clicking his tongue and turned to him. Click, click, click. Sniper had originally thought he was calling him or trying to get his attention. But upon seeing that Spy wasn't looking at him, he started to watch. He was clicking in a rhythm that didn't match the one he was using to sharpen his knife.

Click, click, click. Spy worked faster as the speed of the clicks increased. Sniper sat in awe and watched him. It was surprising to see Spy openly stimming around him. Click, click, click. Sniper noticed his leg was shaking now too. Very fast, actually. It bumped against the leg of the table and made the whole table shake.

As he watched, Sniper started thinking about all the ways he had noticed Spy would stim. Flicking his knife, stretching his fingers, and making hisses were all ways he would stim around him. Sniper never mentioned it, but he noticed. He tended to notice a lot of things other people didn't. He found it really nice to see him stimming- especially because he knew Spy found it embarrassing. It made him feel like he was comfortable around him.

He watched in silent interest as Spy became a source of a lot of noise in the small van. He either didn't notice or didn't care, because he never looked up from the stone he was using to sharpen his knife. It wasn't until Spy had finished his task that he stopped. Well, he stopped clicking. His leg still shook, just much softer now and it didn't hit the table.

" I believe this is good enough. " Spy accidentally poked the end of his knife with his finger and internally thanked his glove for protecting him. It still hurt though.

" Looks nice. " Sniper scratched his chin in thought before trying to add as nicely as he could, " You were real loud there for a second. "

" Hm? "

" The clicking. And your leg. "

" Oh. " Spy's face reddened slightly and his brows lowered as he realized he must've been making a lot more noise than he assumed he was.

" I liked it! " He cut into his statement after seeing it upset him, " I think it's nice. "

Spy narrowed his eyes in disbelief. He wasn't sure if he was making fun of him or not. " Nice? "

" Yeah. I liked listening to it. "

He had never gotten a positive response to his stimming before. It made him uncomfortable. He took a long pause before quickly muttering, " Hm. I should leave. " He stood and dashed out the van door.

" Wait- " Sniper held out his hand to stop him, but he didn't have time to before Spy exited the van. He watched through the open window as Spy quickly moved through the dirt and opened the door to enter the base equally as fast. He didn't even wipe his shoes.

Sniper sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't sure what he said wrong. He looked to the table and was surprised to see Spy had left his knife. He smiled and looked to the door of the base again. He'd be back. 

He decided he'd let it go and just ask about it again if the time ever seemed right. He didn't like how embarrassed Spy was to stim. It was normal to do, and seeing him so shaken up always made him upset. Sniper used to be embarrassed of showing signs that he wasn't neurotypical, but as he aged he learned to accept himself. He still had issues with internalized ableism, but he was much less ashamed of himself now. He wanted to help Spy not be so ashamed of himself too, but he didn't know how.


	3. Scout & Engie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Scout having a small meltdown.
> 
> Not intended to be a ship story, but you can interpret it that way if you want.
> 
> Scout has ADHD, and it's not mentioned but Engie has Autism.

Scout was never able to sit still. He always had to move, move, move. He could never just stop and relax. And though this bothered his mother and coworkers, Scout himself had no issue with it. He loved running around- hell, he was getting paid to do it! It only really became an issue when he needed to do something like paperwork.

He sat at the table in the communal kitchen, staring daggers at the paper in front of him. He already had trouble reading, and he absolutely hated having to reread paragraph after paragraph. He would finish reading and realize he didn't retain any of the information he just looked at. He grumbled, drinking his Bonk and trying his best to ignore his urge to cry out of frustration.

He eventually couldn't take it. He wasn't even halfway through the paperwork he needed to look over! He slammed his can down and held his face in his hands. He hit the table, grabbing his hand afterwards in pain. He tried to begin reading again, but he found himself crying now. He felt stupid and irritated beyond belief.

Engineer must have heard the commotion, because he stuck his head around the corner and watched for a moment. He saw Scout slumped over at the table, crying quietly and staring at some paper. He slowly walked in, trying his best to not scare him.

" Hey, bud. What's the problem? "

Scout looked up and wiped his eyes quickly, as though he could hide that he was just crying. He sniffed and took a sip of his drink before answering.

" Stupid freakin' paperwork. I can't read it- well, I can, but it's not easy! And then when I do read it, I realize I wasn't paying attention and have to reread it! "

Engineer took a seat next to him and looked over the papers. It was slightly wet with tears, but that didn't bother him. " You want me to help you? I can read it to you and summarize it if you need. "

" You'd do that? "

" Absolutely! No problem at all! " Engineer gave him a big smile.

" You're a top notch pal, Engie! " Scout nearly jumped out of his chair with joy and appreciation. Engineer patted his arm gently and began to read.

Scout felt a heavy weight lift off his chest and moved to watch Engineer's finger. He moved his finger under the words as he read it to him, and Scout found it much easier to focus. And when he couldn't, Engineer would simplify it for him. He finished his paperwork relatively quickly after he started helping him, and Scout looked over at the finished papers in awe.

" We done? "

" Well, I reckon we are. " Engineer gave him another genuine, kind smile.

" Thanks, man! " Scout jumped out of his seat and nearly forgot to grab the papers as he ran to the exit. He turned back and grabbed the papers and gave Engineer a high-five before running out to tell Ms Pauling he'd finished.

Engineer watched the door for a moment before returning to his work. He always did like to see Scout happy. Even if he was annoying.


	4. Scout & Sniper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> warning for self harm.
> 
> not intended to be ship but i love them as a couple so im deffo fine if u wanna see it that way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for so many chapters with scout and sniper i just.. love them sm...

The door shut behind Scout and he took in the silence of the room as he slid down it to rest on the floor. His head was aching, his chest was uncomfortably tight, and tears pricked at his eyes. The day had started out fine, but something always had to go wrong. He'd been garbage in battle that day, and Soldier made sure to let him know that by pulling him aside and yelling at him for nearly an hour. It usually didn't bother him- Soldier did this to everyone at least twice a month. But that night it bore into him. Likely because he had spent the previous night crying about how shit he was at everything and was feeling pretty sensitive.

He stood and made his way to the small desk in his room. It had drawings on it that he'd been rather proud of. He looked over them and felt nothing but bitterness. He spent the next minute or so ripping them all to shreds before throwing all of the scraps onto the floor. He paced over them, wiping tears that only fueled his anger from his cheek. He stopped again in front of his desk and swiped the pencil tin off into the floor. Pens and pencils scattered everywhere.

He grunted, slamming his fists into the side of his head and kicking his desk. He struck the wall and ignored the pain that seeped into his knuckles. That would definitely bruise. He spent the next few minutes throwing, kicking, and punching things. He only stopped when he had hit his head against the wall a bit too hard and fell backwards onto the messy floor.

He stood again, huffing and wiping his face before storming out of the base. He hadn't passed anyone on his way there- it must have been two or three in the morning. His feet kicked the sand as he walked to Pyro's fire pit. He looked over the remains of a dead fire Pyro lit earlier and felt all of his rage begin to boil inside his stomach. He screamed bloody murder into the desert air. He screamed for minutes until his throat was raw.

He stopped screaming when he felt hands grab him from behind. He turned around to see a very tired and confused Sniper standing in nothing but pajama pants gripping him by the shoulders.

" What are you doing? " Sniper's tone was filled with a strange mixture of concern and annoyance.

Scout opened his mouth to reply, but felt the hoarseness of his throat and stopped. He shook his head and pushed him off. He saw Sniper's van just a minute away with the lights on and the door still open. He must've woken him up.

" Are you okay? "

" I'm fine. " Scout's voice was raw and quiet.

" No you aren't. What happened? "

Scout stared into his face like he was some sort of enigma. He wasn't friends with him- nobody here was- so why did it matter? He'd only spoken to Sniper a tad in the year he'd been working at Mannco, and he felt he certainly hadn't done anything to earn his care.

" Hey! " Sniper tapped on his chest, " Stay with me, roadrunner, what happened? "

" I don't know. "

" Don't fool with me, you dipstick. What happened? You're all tore up- and your hands bleeding. Got bruises on your head. " He placed his hand gently on the side of Scout's face to look at the fresh bruise on his forehead.

" I got upset. "

" With who? Soldier give you a wallop? "

" No, nobody. I just got upset. "

Sniper's eyebrows narrowed as he took in what he'd heard, " You did that to yourself? " Scout nodded his head to confirm and Sniper put his other hand equally as gently onto his shoulder, " No, no, mate. Can't be doing that. You give yourself a concussion every time you get angry how are you gonna survive being Spy's teammate? "

Scout chuckled and smiled at how Sniper's thumb grazed across his cheek as he looked over his bruises. It felt nice. He wasn't used to feeling like anyone cared about him.

" You wanna talk about it? " Sniper's voice was down to a near whisper. Scout shook his head. " Alright. you should go on to bed, then. Getting a good rest in will make you feel better. " He patted Scout's shoulder.

" Will you sit out here with me? " Scout's cheeks flushed a little with embarrassment. He didn't want to be alone.

Sniper nodded and motioned to the deck chairs sitting around Pyro's campfire. " Yeah. Let's have a talk. Long as you need. "


End file.
